It was an extraordinary moment in US politics: a Black woman rejecting the silencing expectations placed on her language, demeanour and behaviour to condemn her white, male, establishment opponent. Almost exactly two years later, Abrams has still never officially conceded to Kemp. And now, she’s being praised as the real star of the 2020 presidential election, whatever happens between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

At the time of writing, Biden was 1,585 votes ahead in Georgia, a lead so small there will now be a recount. If Biden wins Georgia, the Democrat will be just one electoral college vote away from the White House, according to the BBC – and Trump will be unable to reach the 270 electoral college votes he needs to secure the presidency. But whatever happens, the tightness of the race represents a major shift for a traditionally Republican state that hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1992. And much of the change is being attributed to grassroots activism spearheaded by Abrams.

“It’s not Black girl magic, it’s Black woman Work,” Ayanna Pressley, the Massachusetts congresswoman and ‘Squad’ member who was re-elected this week, wrote on Twitter. “[Abrams] alongside the coalition she has built [and] led, have been putting it in for our democracy.”

“Stacey Abrams did an incredible thing in [Georgia] and across the country,” agreed author Roxane Gay. “After losing her election due in large part to voter suppression, she continued to organize and work to ensure voting rights to the most disenfranchised people.”

Why Stacey Abrams is the real hero of the 2020 US presidential election